Active Ageing – Pathways and Outcomes (AgePaths)

Population ageing changes the balance between generations. Active ageing is therefore a key objective in developing a sustainable welfare state.

Utilizing a life course perspective and longitudinal data, this project investigates pathways and outcomes of active ageing in three domains and their interactions: the labor market (paid work), civil society (volunteerism), and the family (family care and support).

Research questions

A key question is how opportunities and constraints in earlier years, and previous practices and relationships, influence activity and participation in old age:

Do changes in work and life conditions in the years prior to eligible pension age influence plans for and timing of retirement?
Does volunteering in old age substitute loss of previous productive social roles, or is volunteering primarily a continuation of earlier activity?
Are past patterns of involvement in intergenerational support reflected in current participation?

Another key question addresses the interplay between the three domains: Does activity in one domain compete or complement activities in other domains?

A third set of questions address the individual outcomes of participation in work, civic society and family.

Data

The empirical analyses will build on panel data from three waves of the NorLAG study. NorLAG data consist of survey data which are linked with administrative register data. A sample of 3 700 persons aged 40+ in 2003 has been followed to 2008 and will be interviewed again in 2016, and a gross sample of 13 000 persons will be followed from wave 2008 to 2016.

Comparative (cross-national) data are available as NorLAG is included in the international Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) (ggp-i.org). Cooperation with the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (share-eric.eu/) adds to the comparative potential of the project.

Publications

2020

Aartsen, M., Hansen, T., (2020) Social Participation in the Second Half of Life. In Rattan, S. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Biomedical Gerontology. Elsevier. vol. 3, Academic Press (sciencedirect.com)

Hansen, T. & Slagsvold, B. (2020). Refleksiv frivillighet i en norsk kontekst – om eldres deltakelse, motivasjon og potensiale. Tidsskrift for Velferdsforskning, 23(1), 4-19 (idunn.no)

Solem, P. E. (in press). The affective component of ageism needs attention. International Journal of Manpower (emerald.com)

Von Soest, T., Luhmann, M., Hansen, T., & Gerstorf, D. (2020). Development of loneliness in midlife and old age: Its nature and correlates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118, 388-406 (psychnet.apa.org)

2019

Hansen, T. & Slagsvold, B. (2019). Et Øst-Vest skille for eldres livskvalitet i Europa? En sammenligning av ensomhet og depressive symptomer i 12 land. Nordisk Østforum (tidsskriftet-nof.no)

Hansen, T. & Slagsvold, B. (2019). Terza età, la depressione non è un destino (italiensk versjon) / Late-life depression and loneliness: different preconditions of active ageing in Europe (engelsk versjon). Ingenere (ingenere.it)

Hansen, T. & Slagsvold, B. (2019). Frauen leiden häufiger unter Einsamkeit und Depression im Alter. Berlin: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (mpg.de)

Herlofson, K. & Brandt, M. (2019). Helping older parents in Europe: the importance of grandparenthood, gender and care regime. European Societies (tandfoline.com)

Herlofson, K., Daatland, S. O. & Veenstra, M. (2019). Generasjoner imellom: Holdninger til familiens ansvar øst og vest i Europa. Nordisk Østforum, 33, 34-53 (tidsskriftet-nof.no)

2018

Hansen, T. & Slagsvold, B. (2018). Gender inequality in late-life loneliness and depression: A comparative European perspective. In “Gender (in)equality over the life course: Evidence from the Generations and Gender Programme” (pp. 32-38), Gauthier, A., Kotowska, I., & de Vilhena, D. (eds). Population Europe Discussion Paper no. 10.

Hansen, T., Aartsen, M., Slagsvold., & Deindl, C. (2018). Dynamics of volunteering and life satisfaction in midlife and old age: Findings from 12 European countries. Social Sciences, special issue «Active aging and wellbeing: Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research» (mdpi.com)

von Soest, T., Wagner, J., Hansen, T., & Gerstorf, D. (2018). Self-esteem across the second half of life: The role of socioeconomic status, physical health, social relationships, and personality factors. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Personality Processes and Individual Differences, 114(6), 945-958 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Solem, P. E. (2018). Norway, In «Ageing Workforce, Social Cohesion and Sustainable Development – Political Challenges within the Baltic Sea Region». Population Europe Discussion Paper Series. Berlin: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.